"They give you tickets so fast that people do not want to be bothered with Armory Square," she said. "They're so strict with them."

The city hasn't been more aggressive with tickets lately than usual, said Ben Walsh, deputy commissioner of the city's Office of Neighborhood & Business Development. In fact, the number of tickets written last year was lower than in each of the previous two years.

Syracuse parking officers issued nearly 86,000 tickets in 2013, down from more than 103,000 in 2012 and more than 109,000 in 2011. The parking enforcement department was short-staffed for some of 2013, resulting in the lower ticket total, Walsh said.

Revenue from parking tickets totaled $3.2 million last year, down from about $3.3 million in 2012 and $3.5 million in 2011. The revenue total didn't drop as much as the number of tickets written thanks mainly to the city's newly privatized booting program, which targets serious parking violators, Walsh said.

The city is open to feedback on its parking policies, he added.

"We're certainly sensitive to it," he said. "We know how thin the margins are for all businesses in the area, especially retailers."

Easing enforcement in Armory Square probably wouldn't do much good for shoppers and might actually make things worse, Walsh said. Downtown workers would likely be the first ones to take advantage of the lax rules, leaving fewer spaces for visitors.

Ringwood and Mancuso both said they saw their sales decline as well.

Although downtown's residential population has been growing, Ringwood said she didn't see an increase in business as a result. Those who live downtown don't seem to be shopping in the neighborhood, she said.

New stores opening at Destiny USA are also probably drawing business away from downtown, she added.

The Elsbeth Rose location in Fayetteville, which opened about three years ago, is thriving and will remain open, Ringwood said. Mancuso still runs a Joette's store in New Hartford.

"I think we're spoiled in Syracuse," she said. "I understand what people are saying. But it's hard to park in any city."

She also said downtown offers a much different shopping experience than Destiny. The neighborhood caters to people looking for something they won't find at chain stores.

Growth at the mall should ultimately help retailers elsewhere by attracting more shoppers to entire region, Gingold said.

Sales at Showoffs rose last year, she added.

Gingold said she's been seeing more foot traffic as a result of the increased downtown population. Don Lemp, owner of M. Lemp Jewelers, said he has benefited from the area's residential growth as well.

New businesses continue to set up shop downtown, said Merike Treier, executive director of the Downtown Committee of Syracuse. Alamo's Food Market, lululemon, Otro Cinco, Gannon's, Jimmy John's and Tim Hortons are a few recent examples.

Since January 2013, 19 new businesses have opened in the neighborhood, Treier said. And as for the parking issues, an occasional lack of space is one sign of demand, she added.

"I think you're seeing that retail interest in downtown is still strong," she said.